The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) (37 page)

His answer came when the huge shadowy wolf-like creature almost seemed to smile at him. Its yellow eyes shining with what Jak could only call…amusement, as the creature bowed its head slightly in agreement. The whole encounter sent shivers down Jak’s spine, and pulled him from his drunken haze.

Finally, Jak turned and ran towards the horses to join the others. Their party set off out of town at a full gallop towards the north, the same way they had just come from. The cries of the villagers pursued them for a short time. Then after a few moments, the cries of the townsfolk turned to frantic screams of horror just before they faded into the night.

Jak had taken position in the rear to ensure Gin was not left behind. Surprisingly Gin’s little mare Hofsi, was able to keep pace with the larger horses, at least for a time. Jak didn’t think any of the others had seen the shadowy creatures. Even his eyes were hard pressed to pick them out in the darkness of the night. He and the others had made it far enough away from the village in their frantic flight when the screams started, that the others probably hadn’t heard the terrified screams of the townsfolk either. Or at least they didn’t know what all the panicked screaming was about.

They were several leagues outside of Hellstone when abruptly Benjim reined in and came to a stop. Jak notice there was a road leading west from here.

Benjim waited for the other three to gather around him before he spoke, “If memory serves me well, we can take this road west. It joins the Three Forks road which leads out of Yilavo city towards the Mountains of Kaal. It is perhaps two days ride, possibly three, until it joins the Three Forks road. Then another two days back to Yilavo City. It is the only other way to get to Yilavo City without going through Hellstone,” the old man said, “and that is out of the question at this point.

“What are we waiting for then?” Nicoldani asked impatiently, “We don’t really have a choice now do we?” The big man said irritably. But at least this time he didn’t give Jak a sideways glare. After all, the whole mess in Hellstone had not been Jak’s fault, although his actions at the end were enough to raise anyone’s suspicions. Jak didn’t know how much Gin had seen, if any. He just hoped she had been too busy with the horses to see any of it.

Benjim stared off into the night for a moment seeming to argue with himself before shaking his head and saying absently, “Nothing, it is nothing. We should be on our way,” but the old man had a troubled look on his face. Jak exchanged concerned glances with Nicoldani before following Benjim.

They traveled a few leagues further down the road before coming to the banks of the Sanchi River. The river was quite wide and fairly deep this far south and they would not be able to cross without a bridge or a ferry.

After a little searching, they found what appeared to be a ferry line, but no ferry. “I suppose it could be on the other side,” Benjim said hopefully.

Jak peered through the darkness, and his eyes could just make out something on the far shore of the river that looked like it might be a ferry, but it was too far to see clearly.

“We will have to wait until morning in any case,” Nicoldani said scanning the darkness. “It is too treacherous to attempt in the dark. In the morning perhaps one of us can go across and get the ferry and bring it back for the rest of us.”

Jak didn’t like the way Nicoldani said
someone
, and the rest of
us
, or the way he was looking at Jak. He was fairly certain the big man meant Jak would be the one to do it.

There were concerns that the villagers might follow and overtake them if they stopped. But Nicoldani didn’t think they would come this far from the town in the dark. “They will set guards thinking we might be back, but from the looks on their faces I don’t think any of them will venture out of the safety of the village after dark for quite some time.”

Jak knew that the big man was referring to what Jak had done to the man with the sword, but Jak on the other hand, knew for certain that the villagers would not be following, but for a different reason. Not unless the shadowy creatures frightened the people so badly that it chased them out of the village. But it was more likely the villagers would take cover in the closest shop or house they could find.

It was still a shock to Jak that the creatures had come for him when he called. Or that they had actually obeyed him in a way.
What had he become that he could command these strange dark creatures?
The thought repulsed him. But then he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the big man speak again. “What is it that troubles you about this road?” Nicoldani asked Benjim. “Is there something we should know about?”

Benjim seemed to look inside himself for a moment before answering. “I recall a tale that I heard several years back. It says that some travelers had encountered an evil wizard on this road. According to the tale, he claimed it was his road and they must pay a toll before he would let them pass or suffer his wrath. I do not know what toll the wizard demanded of the travelers, or if the tale is even true. It might just be a tale. Who knows? I myself have never actually traveled this particular road. I have been up and down the North Sanchi Road many times, as well as the Three Forks Road, but I have never been this way. But it is always a good idea to be cautious.”

That night Jak had no trouble falling asleep since he was exhausted and feeling out of sorts. When morning came he didn’t want to wake since he felt more tired than when he had lain down. He was feeling a little strange too, but couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong. He thought it was just from being so tired, but he didn’t feel like himself.

As it turned out, no one had to cross the river to get the ferry. In the daylight, they found another smaller rope that they had missed in the darkness the night before. The smaller rope was threaded through a metal ring on a nearby tree, and attached to the ferry on the far side, being one large loop. This kind of thing must occur on a regular basis, for someone to go through the extra trouble to setup this elaborate lead line. It had been designed so you could pull the empty ferry back to whichever side you needed it. This way there was no need to have ferrymen there all the time. Even Benjim thought it a clever thing.

Jak and Nicoldani took turns pulling the ferry towards their side of the river. It was harder than Jak thought it was going to be. The main rope, which was about the size of Jak’s wrist, was anchored to a large tree on the bank of the river. The large rope held the weight of the ferry against the current. But it was still difficult to tow the craft since you had to drag it across the current while it also dragged on the large rope. After what seemed like an endlessly long time they finally were able to get the ferry across to their side of the river so they could board.

The ferry was a rickety looking thing, and Jak wasn’t sure it would hold them all and their horses. It was quite large, but by the time all four of them got onto it with their horses, it seemed much smaller, there wasn’t much room to move. The only free space was right down the middle of the ferry where Jak and Nicoldani would take hold of the large rope, and walk to the back of the ferry. Back and forth, over and over they went until finally the ferry lurched to a halt as it came in contact with the far bank of the river.

By the time they reached the other side, Jak’s hands were sore, and his legs were tired from all the pulling. So much so that he just wanted to lie back down again and go to sleep.

His head felt fuzzy and clouded, and he was weak and drained of strength. He thought that perhaps it was something he ate the night before upsetting his stomach. With that thought, he felt a chill in his bones, and quickly tried to think of anything else to take his mind off it. Jak just wanted to forget all about what he had
eaten
the night before.

The party rested for only a short time to allow Jak and Nicoldani to recover a bit from the arduous pull across the river, before mounting the horses and starting off down the road to the west. They continued traveling down the road until nearly midday, through thick broad-leaf foliage and trees. The brush and undergrowth was much thicker than they had encountered before now. There were some spots where it wasn’t even possible to see more that a pace or two off the trail because of the thick vegetation.

As Jak was riding along down the narrow trail, and lost in his own thoughts, suddenly he noticed someone standing up ahead in the middle of the road. It almost looked like a small child and he wondered what a child was doing all the way out here. He rubbed his eyes wondering if he was seeing things, after all he was feeling kind of odd today. Exchanging a questioning look with Nicoldani, Jak realized the big man could see it too.

As they approached, Jak could see that instead of a child, it looked like a man, except for the fact that he was only the size of a small child. After all, Gin was probably taller than this man was who was blocking the road ahead.

The tiny man had thick brown curly hair that didn’t quite reach his shoulders. His face was clean-shaven and smooth, or perhaps he had no need for a razor. Deep-set large eyes sat below his bushy brows which almost met in the middle. His eyes were a strange gray color which was a little unnerving. A large somewhat flat nose was the centerpiece of his face, and looked a little out of place on his small head.

“None shall pass,” the small man said in a high-pitched voice,while trying to sound commanding.

Nicoldani and Benjim exchanged glances before Benjim turned to the tiny man and asked, “Why can we not pass?”

The small man puffed out his chest and stretched, trying to attain a greater height before saying, “My name is Mortikus, and this is my road. You cannot pass without paying my toll.”

His grand performance was spoiled by Gin saying, “Ohh, he is soooo cute, he’s like a little doll.”

Mortikus shot Gin and indignant look.

“Is this your wizard?” Nicoldani asked Benjim while wearing a rye smile.

“What if we refuse?” The big man asked, raising an eyebrow at the little man who was blocking the road, “how do you plan on stopping us?”

“I am Mortikus, a great wizard of profound power and strength,” he made wild gesturing motions with his arms as he spoke. “If you don’t pay me a toll, I will turn you all into frogs!”

Once again, his haughty display was ruined when Frog ran forward and began to lick the little man’s face. “Call your beast off. Get it off me,” the little man cried as he tried to fend off the dog’s incessant licking.

After a moment, Jak called Frog off, while trying to stifle a laugh.

“Keep your beast away from me, or I will be forced to use my great power on you,” the little man said, attempting to regain his imperious demeanor.

“Can you give us a demonstration of your great power?” Benjim said with a pleasant smile.

“What do you think I am a street performer? I do not give demonstrations,” he said as his eyes narrowed, and he shook his finger threateningly.

“At least not ones you would like very much. I do not think you would enjoy being turned into a frog, or a rat, or maybe even a snake,” the little man’s eyes narrowed even more and he spoke in a loud whisper at the end, trying to sound eerie and ominous. It was a little comical coming from the tiny man.

“We definitely do not want to be turned into frogs,” Benjim said with a feigned look of fear, before his lips curled up into a half-smile.

“There is not something else you could do, just a small thing perhaps, just to show us your power?” Benjim asked innocently.

The tiny man was clearly bluffing, but with the prodding from Benjim, he couldn’t refuse the challenge. Mortikus didn’t want to seem a fool, or be made fun of. The little man seemed willing to play out his hand in hopes the others would back down first.

“Very well,” Mortikus said after a moment, as he raised his hands expressively in front of him, “I will make a fireball. But be warned, it’s extremely dangerous.”

Mortikus paused dramatically before his voice began again in a near whisper, taking on a fervent tone as it rose to a crescendo. “I could slip and it would incinerate all of you before you knew what happened.”

Mortikus eyed the party, obviously hoping that someone would stop him. When no one did, the little man continued with his charade.

He peered intently at his hands with a look of great concentration. Several moments passed with nothing happening. Then suddenly, a light did appear in one of his small hands, and then it flew across into his other hand. Mortikus yanked his hands away quickly, and waved them in the air violently as if they were burning. His bulging eyes and gaping mouth said he had nothing to do with the light that had appeared. The smug smile on Benjim’s face said that
he
had.

Mortikus peered wild-eyed, first at his hands, then at each of the members of the small party in turn. Finally, they came to rest on Benjim. “Did you do that?” he asked narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Benjim just chuckled softly in response.

“Can you teach me? Oh please great wizard. I will do anything if you can teach me to do that,” Mortikus pleaded submissively. The little man’s entire demeanor had changed to the point that he dropped the act of haughty superiority, and was now jovial and friendly.

“We don’t have time for this,” Nicoldani said impatiently, “we need to be on our way. Enough time has been wasted on this…farce.”